Action Fiche for ACP-EU Natural Disaster Risk Management in the CARIFORUM

Transcription

1 ANNEX 1 of the Commission Decision on the Annual Action Programme 2013 Part 2 in favour of Intra- ACP cooperation to be financed from the 10 th European Development Fund Action Fiche for ACP-EU Natural Disaster Risk Management in the CARIFORUM 1. IDENTIFICATION ACP-EU Natural Disaster Risk Management in the CARIFORUM Title/Number Total cost Beneficiary Countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Republic of Suriname, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Christopher (St. Kitts) and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, The Bahamas, The Dominican Republic CRIS Number FED/ Total cost, corresponding to the total amount of EDF contribution: EUR (0.74% of Intra-ACP Multi Annual Indicative Programme) Aid method / Method of implementation Project approach Direct centralized management Partially decentralized management with the Dominican Republic Joint management with the Caribbean Development Bank DAC-code Sector Disaster Prevention and Preparedness 2. RATIONALE 2.1. Sector context 1 The Forum of the Caribbean Group of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States (CARIFORUM) comprises small states with developing economies prone to natural hazards. Both hydro meteorological and climate related hazards, such as hurricanes, wind storms or floods, as well as geological hazards, such as earthquakes or volcanic eruptions are recurrent in the region. In these small states, single catastrophic events can have a disproportionate negative effect on both the national and regional economies 2, also due to the interaction of a number of driving forces (in intensity and frequency) such as climate change, environmental degradation, demographic pressure, unplanned urban growth, trans-boundary nature of natural hazards, etc. Such factors intensify the effects disasters have on people, in particular the poorest and most vulnerable, their assets and livelihoods and their ability to recover. Furthermore, they also strain the ability of the public sector in reconstruction efforts and lead to higher debt levels. Disaster mitigation and resilience, the focus of this Programme, is therefore a particularly relevant and important component of economic policy in the region, in the attempt to reduce exposure of governments to divert substantial resources for relief operations, recovery and reconstruction. 1 Please refer to the list of acromyms at the end 2 The economic and social losses following natural disasters in the Caribbean states are significant. According to the Centre for Research on Environmental Decisions (CRED) data base, around USD 1.5 billion are lost every year. With limited economic diversification and tourism and agriculture being two of the major foreign exchange earners for the Caribbean, natural disasters can mean devastation for local economies (source: European Commission s Humanitarian Implementation Plan (HIP)/DIPECHO for the Caribbean for 2013, 23/10/

2 Several initiatives, dating back to the 1980s, at both national and regional levels, have been designed to reduce this vulnerability. These include the establishment of regional and national institutional and legislative frameworks as well as the development of programmes to address preparedness, response, mitigation, prevention and recovery. In 2001, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), through broad based stakeholder consultations, adopted a strategy and results framework for Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) with the goal of integrating it into sustainable development decision-making and planning. This Strategy was revised in 2006, as a result of the need for greater emphasis on the reduction of disaster loss through better risk management. The outcome of this revision process was the Enhanced CDM Strategy and Programming Framework , on the enhancement of regional sustainable development. This has been closely aligned to the global and regional agendas such as the Hyogo Framework for Action, CARICOM's Regional Programming 4, the Caribbean Single Market and Economy and the St. George s Declaration of Principles for environmental sustainability. The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) has been particularly engaged in these efforts, namely with the development of the Enhanced CDM Strategy and Programming Framework (CDM) and in strengthening regional and national capacities. Also the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has developed a strategic and proactive approach to Disaster Risk Management (DRM) in order to avoid further cycles of vulnerability and better secure its investments in the region. However addressing prevention, mitigation and preparedness to natural hazards has proven complex as it is still a slowly emerging issue in the policy agenda in the region, in particular among Ministries of Finance and Planning, and in linking national action with community level needs and priorities. This Programme is the Caribbean component of the 10 th EDF Intra-ACP Cooperation Strategy ( ), in which the ACP Group and the EU recognise the need to increase efforts with regard to ex ante Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA). It is also anchored in the EU s general and specific guidelines on disaster resilience. In this regard, it responds directly to the implementation priorities B (Regional Action Plans on DRR) and C (Integration of DRR into EU s External Action) of the EU Strategy for Supporting DRR in Developing Countries Implementation Plan 5 and 3 of the 5 priorities of the Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) 6 : adaptation to climate change, promotion of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and integration of climate change into poverty reduction efforts. It also echoes the recommendations of the Communication EU Approach to Resilience: learning from food security crises, in particular, on the following aspects: i) anticipation of crises by assessing risks, ii) focus on prevention and preparedness and iii) enhancement of crisis response Lessons learnt Since 2007, two projects funded under the 9 th EDF have been implemented by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). These are the Institutional Support and Capacity Building for Disaster Management in the Caribbean Project, and the Caribbean sub-regional component of the ACP-EU Natural Disaster Facility (NDF). This Programme thus builds upon progress made through these previous projects, in particular the NDF, as it is its natural continuation. 3 Reference for the region in the process of extension, beyond The next programming cycle will seek to build on the national, sectorial and regional strengths, processes, partnerships, synergies and momentum gained thus far. 4 CDM is a building block in the Implementation Plan for the Regional Framework for Achieving Development Resilient to Climate Change. 5 COM (2009) 84 final and SEC (2011) 215 final, respectively. 6 COM (2007) 540 final. 2

3 Recent reports emanating from a Result Oriented Monitoring (ROM) exercise conducted for this Caribbean component of the NDF (managed by CDEMA) and from other development partners also supporting Disaster Risk Management (DRM) in the region have highlighted several strengths and weaknesses which have been taken into consideration in the design of this Programme, among which: High relevance of the project and prospects of direct impact in contributing to enhancing the safety levels of the targeted populations; Highly participatory approach in project design, which in turns engendered a high level of ownership and buy-in; Dilution of control over implementation as a result of participation of a large number of partners and beneficiaries at the national and regional level; Responsiveness to national needs should be improved within the Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) framework; Clear synergies with the climate change agenda should be sought and interaction between Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) practitioners and policy makers should be actively supported; Need for a comprehensive Management Information System (MIS) within CDEMA; CDEMA and National Disaster Offices (NDOs) need to put more emphasis in capturing tangible results and high quality outputs should be applied and used. This Programme also results from a wide stakeholder consultation survey started in November 2012 (at the request of the CARIFORUM), which further validated the issues identified in the abovementioned ROM. This Programme will also address the gaps and priorities as identified through these initiatives. Furthermore, the baselines provided for by CDEMA s DRM Audit 7, and by the 2010 EUfinanced study, Technical Assistance to a study on the current actions and initiatives in the field of civil protection in the Caribbean in order to promote, enhance and reinforce the regional cooperation mechanisms, have been taken into consideration, in particular in identifying capacities, needs and gaps of DRM in the region. Finally, this Programme will contribute to filling in the gaps between humanitarian and other development interventions, acknowledging CDEMA s key role in the region, as well as by serving as an anchor initiative that could further leverage coordinated DRR efforts in the region, in particular by mainstreaming it at the level of Ministries of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. The role expected from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) will be instrumental in this regard Complementary actions The Programme complements current national and regional EDF envelopes, on-going Intra-ACP programmes from the 9 th and 10 th EDF, the Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (DG ECHO) DRR Programme (DIPECHO) for 2013, as well as activities supported by other donors including CDB, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), the United Kingdom s Department for International Development (DFID), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). CDEMA has a number of on-going initiatives that complement this Programme, among which are the aforementioned ACP-EU Natural Disaster Facility (NDF with EUR 1.8 million) and the CDM Harmonized Implementation Programme (HIP Phase I, with USD 14.8 million, supported by CIDA, AusAID, DFID and CDEMA s participant states). Activities envisioned under this Programme, and as requested by CARIFORUM s members, have been developed with a view to carrying on HIP s 7 Assesses CDEMA s participant countries in their capacity for CDM in the areas of: administration and finance, institutional capacity, preparedness and response, mitigation and research, education, information and training. 3

4 activities when the latter ends (December 2014). CDEMA also supports CARICOM s Regional Climate Change Strategy and Implementation Action Plan (also supported by the EU and the CDB), which includes a significant component on DRR, that this Programme will be aligned with. CDB, on the other hand has identified support to DDR and CCA among its strategic objectives. As such, this Programme has also been designed to complement its operations in the region, through: i) the Community Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (CDRRF), supported by CIDA and DFID, a multi-donor Trust Fund, focused on reducing vulnerability at the community/local level; ii) the Climate Action Line of Credit, which the CDB has received from the European Investment Bank (EIB), to address the severe vulnerability of CDB s borrowing member countries to the effects of climate change. The Programme will complement DIPECHO for the Caribbean region (EUR 8.5 million for 2013, focused on community-based DRR). DIPECHO will prioritise its interventions on floods and hurricanes (all regions); exposure of densely populated urban areas (Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica); earthquakes & tsunamis (Dominican Republic, Cuba, Jamaica Haiti & Eastern Caribbean); drought (Haiti, Eastern Caribbean & Cuba). DIPECHO will deliver through local DRM; institutional linkages and advocacy; information, education and communications; small scale infrastructure and services and stock building of emergency relief items and training. The UNDP has implemented the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) Regional Risk Reduction Initiative, ended in December 2012 (funded by the EU with EUR 4.9 million between 2008 and 2012). The project sought to address the risk and exposure of the English and Dutch Oversees Countries and Territories (OCTs) in the Caribbean by providing a network of regional infrastructure, programmes, policies and protocols to strengthen their capacity to predict and prepare for natural hazards. The project outcomes evaluation was only recently completed and the lessons learned and the recommendations from that evaluation will be useful when further implementing this Programme, in particular during its inception phase. The EU-financed Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) also supports the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), which is funding improved climate monitoring, data retrieval and space-based tools for DRR, which includes the installation of an additional 106 hydro-meteorological stations and 6 CREWS (Coral Reef Early Warning Stations) in the region. These outputs may be instrumental in relation to this Programme s Result 2 and CDB will seek coordination with the CCCCC in this regard. Also the global GCCA s lessons and experiences on mainstreaming CCA and DRR will inform this Programme, in particular through the training package it has developed for CCA. This can be revisited to fully take into account of DRR and propose an integrated mainstreaming approach to the two issues. Coordination will be ensured in particular with two on-going EU-financed programmes: 10 th EDF Intra-ACP ACP-EU Natural Disaster Reduction Programme (EUR 60 million), entrusted to the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). This programme has three main components that should build synergies with this programme, namely on its three main components i) regional and sub-regional initiatives, ii) technical assistance for disaster risk reduction and iii) fast-track recovery instruments to support post-disaster needs assessments and technical assistance in building-back better; DCI Building Capacities for increased Public Investment in CCA and DRR (EUR 7.5 million), entrusted to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). This project aims at building the capacity to account for disaster losses by developing national disaster loss databases, the capacity to assess and understand risks and build probabilistic country risk assessment models which provide for an overall picture of the main vulnerabilities and multi- 4

5 hazard risk. In this regard, the Programme will benefit from the work already accomplished under this initiative and build synergies in all its components on risk assessment and modelling of future risks Donor coordination This European Development Fund (EDF) contribution is in line with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, the Accra Agenda for Action, the EU Code of Conduct, the Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation and, the most recent framework for action and follow-up measures stemming from the Rio+20. The Programme will further enhance donor coordination between the EU, the ACP States and other bilateral and multilateral donors present in the Caribbean, namely: Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Australia, United States of America, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and the World Bank. Donor coordination in DRM in the Caribbean 8 occurs by way of information exchange for programming and implementation purposes through coordination mechanisms such as the CDM Coordination and Harmonization Council or the Eastern Caribbean Development Partners Group on DRM and CCA, as well as through subscription to a joint work programme. The Programme s Steering Committee (PSC), and CDEMA s Coordinating Unit and CDB will facilitate donor and development partner coordination, through the existing regional mechanisms, including the CARIFORUM (therefore not excluding the Dominican Republic, which is not a member of CDEMA or CDB). Other donors may also be invited on a case-by-case basis as determined by the implementing partners in agreement with the EU Delegation to Barbados & OECS. 3. DESCRIPTION 3.1. Objectives The objective of the Programme is to reduce vulnerability to long term impacts of natural hazards, including the potential impacts of climate change, thereby achieving regional and national sustainable development and poverty reduction goals in the CARIFORUM States. The purpose is to strengthen regional, national and community level capacities for disaster risk reduction, preparedness, management and coordinated response to natural hazards and the effects of climate change Expected results and main activities Result 1 - Capacity of National Disaster Offices (NDOs) and CDEMA s Coordinating Unit strengthened for implementation of Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) Activities under this result will: Strengthen capacities of National Disaster Offices (NDOs) and other relevant national agencies in the implementation of regional and national CDM Strategies and in prioritized technical areas; Strengthen CDEMA Coordinating Unit s capacities, as the main coordinating body for CDM in the region. Result 2 - National, local and regional resilience through strengthened early warning, national risk profiling and community-based DRR and CCA 8 The Coordination does not, as yet, extend to the Dutch Antilles and the Dominican Republic. 5

6 Activities under this result will: Strengthen community/local-level capacity for resilience in CARIFORUM countries to the challenges posed by natural hazards and climate events in a number of identified and prioritized areas; Improve institutional capacities at regional 9 and national levels for early warning and data analysis, modelling and practical application 10 ; Result 3 - Sector resilience strengthened in key public policy sectors, through DRR and CCA mainstreaming Activities under this result will: Remove barriers and create opportunities for mainstreaming DRR and CCA in the public sector, particularly, at the level of Ministries of Finance, Planning and Economic affairs; Improve integration of DRR and CCA considerations into planning and decision-making frameworks at national and sub national levels in selected CARIFORUM countries; Make critical infrastructure in the transportation and water sectors in CARIFORUM countries more resilient to natural hazards and better prepared for climate change and climate variability. One of the key design advantages of this Programme is that it has been developed to be flexible and responsive to specific and priority DRM work-programme needs of the participant states, based on the iteration of their own gaps, challenges and priorities and with a view to complementarities of other on-going initiatives. In addition, in order to achieve a high level of alignment with other development partners involved in DRM/DRR and CCA in the region, most of the funds to implement activities will be channelled through existing mechanisms established by the CDB and CDEMA and will seek to build upon recent progress made, as these are already financed by multiple donors. An indicative Logical Framework, including detailed activities and objective verifiable indicators (OVIS), will be annexed to the Financing Agreement Risks and assumptions The following risks are noted: The impact of a disaster event on one or several CARIFORUM member states has the potential to delay or temporarily stop the implementation of the Programme activities within the affected countries and also in other related activities not directly affected. Implementing entities are thus expected to work with the relevant Programme's Steering Committee (PSC), the EU and the ACP Group to ensure that the affected Programme components are resumed as quickly as possible; Institutional and/or absorption capacity of community, national and regional authorities may be limited. Although the Programme aims to develop part of this capacity, its retention within the region is instrumental for long term success and sustainability. Regional programming for community DRR and CCA is under-developed. There is a wide spectrum of potential development programming approaches that can be pursued to enhance community resilience to DRR and CCA. The body of regional experience in defining and delivering CDRR and CCA approaches is small; 9 For regionally mandated organizations only. 10 This may include addressing the need to ensure an interface between meteorological and disaster management offices. 6

7 Overlap with actions financed by other donors and/or EU-funded projects and programmes. However, seeking donor coordination for community, country and regional implementation is an integral part of the proceedings of the PSC. The success of this Programme is based on the following assumptions: At the national level, the key assumption is that the political buy-in demonstrated thus far by governments and sub-regional organisations in the recognition of the importance of DRR/CCA will be translated in the continued allocation of the required human and technical resources to participate in regional and in-country activities. In this regard, the engagement of appropriate agencies (regional and national) in the Programme s implementation should ensure greater awareness and commitment by all political decision makers. Moving from response and disaster management to risk management is a paradigm shift to be accomplished in the region. As such the assumption is that advocacy at regional and national level is continued and promoted by this Programme, namely at the level of Ministries of Finance, Planning and Economic affairs respectively, which should be involved from the early stages of the Programme. The timely, effective and efficient implementation of this intervention requires that the key stakeholders identified below are able to absorb the available resources in terms of their demand for technical assistance services, supplies, etc., offered by the Programme. The implementing agencies would thus need to commit to engage in a process of continuous dialogue and advocacy with national, sub-regional and regional stakeholders to ensure that the policy commitments are adhered to and financial commitments are realized. The expected results identified and the actions proposed for each will build on the results and experiences of the Comprehensive Disaster Management Strategy (CDM) and related interventions and will provide the opportunity to further mainstreaming CDM and CCA into national development and for scaling up national and community level experiences for disaster mitigation and CCA. The Dominican Republic s Component is further detailed during the inception phase and during the preparation of the Programme Estimates and that activities fall within the spirit of the expected objectives and result areas for the overall Programme Cross-cutting Issues The main cross cutting issues in this Programme are gender, environmental sustainability, and stakeholder participation, especially at the community level. The Programme s goals are consistent with the European Consensus on Development which places a strong emphasis on community participation and awareness, the implementation of nationally agreed upon action plans, strengthening good governance and links with Civil Society. Furthermore, the Programme s objectives will contribute to environmental sustainability of the CARIFORUM States through the provision of information on potential risk from natural hazards and the strict compliance with internationally agreed best practices on environment-friendly resilient infrastructure, equipment and livelihoods. Gender is a cross-cutting theme in the priority areas of the CDM Strategy and Programming Framework. The CDM Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Framework, developed in 2010, includes indicators for the measurement of gender issues at the policy and operational level. At the level of the CDM CHC, a gender working group is being set up which will assume responsibility for the consideration of gender issues in disaster management. In addition, efforts will be made throughout Programme implementation to promote the continued empowerment of women, men, girls and boys, and to ensure gender balance. The Gender Equality Screening Checklist that will be used in the Programme is provided for. 7

8 3.5. Stakeholders Member States of CARIFORUM through: the National Disaster Management Agencies/Offices (national and sub-regional focal points advising on and implementing strategies and activities at national level) and the line ministries of member states, in particular those of Finance and Planning (instrumental for improved cross-sector national advocacy, integration and effective and sustainable resource allocation for DRM and CCA) and those responsible for Climate Change issues; Communities impacted by meteorological, geological, climate related and other natural hazards in those Member States; Non-State actors including NGOs, civil society and the private sector which operate at the community and sector levels in those Member States; Regional policymakers, such as the Council of CDEMA, CARICOM Institutions, such as the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED); The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB); Regional specialist institutions like the Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO) and the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), the University of the West Indies Disaster Risk Reduction Centre (DRRC) and Seismic Research Centre, the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) as well as other technical regional institutions; Other ACP subregional organizations with a mandate on DRR that could benefit from lessons learned from this Programme, namely the members of the ACP-EU Natural Disaster Facility. Development partners present in the region. 4. IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES 4.1. Method of implementation In order to implement this action, it is foreseen to conclude a Financing Agreement with the Secretary General of the ACP Group of States (Authorizing Officer of the Intra-ACP funds), referred to in Article 17 of Annex IV to the Cotonou Agreement. The Programme will be partially devolved to the EU Delegation to Barbados & OECS (to supervise the implementation of the entire Programme, in particular contracts under Results 1 to 3, and to manage the contracts for communication, visibility, monitoring, evaluation and audit, as well as contingencies) and partially to the EU Delegation to Dominican Republic (to supervise contracts under the Dominican Republic s component). The following are the management modes per Result/Component: Result 1: Direct centralized management Under the responsibility of the authorising officer by delegation, a direct grant will be awarded to Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). The objective of this direct award is to ensure implementation of the Result 1. The main fields of intervention will be regional coordination and capacity building. Under the responsibility of the authorising officer by delegation, the recourse to an award of a grant without a call for proposals is justified because the beneficiary is in a legal monopoly situation. The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) is the primary agency charged by the CARICOM with the responsibility for disaster management in the region. Under the CARICOM Treaty there are several institutions responsible for formulating policies and performing functions in relation to cooperation. A Minister of Government represents each Member State on each Institution. CDEMA is one of such full-fledged institutions of the CARICOM and the only one with a specific mandate on DRM. 8

9 The action will be fully financed by the EDF in accordance with Articles 109 of the Financial Regulation of the 10 th EDF as it is essential for the action to be carried out. The essentiality of full funding will be justified by the responsible authorising officer in the award decision, in respect of the principles of equal treatment and sound financial management. Full financing is necessary for the implementation of the action as it is complementary to the efforts by other donors to support CDEMA in fulfilling its role in the implementation of the Caribbean Comprehensive Disaster Management Strategy (CDM) and to be able to deliver to its member-states accordingly. CDEMA, the beneficiary, will be invited to submit a proposal, which will be assessed against essential and selection and award criteria. The selection criteria will be the financial and operational capacity of the applicant and the award criteria will be the relevance of the proposed action to the objectives of the Programme, design, effectiveness, feasibility, sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the action. Results 2 and 3: Joint Management A part of this action with the objective of implementing the activities under Results 2 and 3 will be implemented in joint management with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). Therefore a standard Contribution Agreement will be signed between the European Commission and the CDB. This is justified because of CDB s comprehensive approach to Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Climate Change Adaptation, to avoid further cycles of vulnerability and better secure its investments in the region, as well as its recognized expertise in responding to requests from its member countries for assistance with post-disaster rehabilitation. Joint management with the CDB in accordance with Article 29 of the Financial Regulation of the 10 th EDF is possible because the Programme is elaborated jointly between the CDB and the European Commission. The international organisation complies with the criteria provided for in the applicable Financial Regulation. The CDB will be entrusted with budget-implementation tasks, such as contract-management cycle. The change of method of implementation constitutes a substantial change except where the Commission "re-centralises" or reduces the level of budget-implementation tasks previously entrusted to the international organisation. Dominican Republic s Component: Partially decentralized management The Dominican Republic is a member-state of the CARIFORUM and thus among the expected beneficiary countries of this Intra-ACP financed Programme. However, this partner country is not a member of CDEMA or of the CDB. To address this issue, it has been agreed by all the parties that the Dominican Republic would benefit from the Programme through actions to be contracted by its National Authorising Officer (NAO), in line with the programme s main objective and purpose. At the request of the CARIFORUM, EUR will thus be earmarked for this specific component. As such, part of this action, with the objective of implementing the Dominican Republic s Component, will be implemented in partially decentralised management in accordance with Articles 21 to 23 of the 10 th EDF Financial Regulation 215/2008. The ACP Secretariat, as Regional Authorizing Officer will delegate its powers as contracting authority to the Dominican Republic National Authorising Officer. The partner country will act as the contracting authority for the procurement and grant procedures. The Commission will control ex ante all the procurement procedures except in cases where programme estimates are applied, under which the Commission applies ex ante control for procurement contracts 9

10 > EUR 50,000 and may apply ex post for procurement contracts EUR 50,000. The Commission will control ex ante the contracting procedures for all grant contracts. Payments are executed by the Commission except in cases where programmes estimates are applied, under which payments are executed by the partner country for operating costs and contracts up to the ceilings indicated in the table below. The responsible Authorising Officer ensures that, by using the model of financing agreement for decentralised management, the segregation of duties between the authorising officer and the accounting officer or of the equivalent functions within the delegated entity will be effective, so that the decentralisation of the payments can be carried out for contracts up to the ceilings specified below. Works Supplies Services Grants < 300,000 EUR < 300,000 EUR < 300,000 EUR 100,000 EUR The financial contribution covers the ordinary operating costs deriving from the programme estimates. The change of method of implementation constitutes a substantial change except where the Commission "re-centralises" or reduces the level of budget-implementation tasks previously entrusted to the beneficiary partner country. The EU Delegation to Dominican Republic will supervise the implementation of the respective contracts and liaise and coordinate with the EU Delegation to Barbados & OECS to ensure the alignment of this component with the overall Programme Governance A Programme Steering Committee (PSC) chaired by CARIFORUM, will be set-up to advise and provide overall strategic direction of the Programme and will be responsible for reviewing progress and achievements, reports and work programmes. The PSC will actively seek and support coordination and ensure complementarities with on-going actions and existing strategies. It will safeguard against duplication with other activities financed either by the EU and/or other donors. The ACP Group is represented through the CARIFORUM. However, the ACP Secretariat s Assistant Secretary General, responsible for the 10 th EDF Intra-ACP funds for Disaster Risk Reduction, will be invited to participate in the PSC in order to ensure the coherence with the implementation of the other components of the intra-acp envelope for DRR, i.e. Africa and the Pacific. CARIFORUM, CDB, CDEMA and the EU Delegations to Barbados & OECS and to the Dominican Republic (ECHO s office for the region may be mobilised by the EU Delegations whenever necessary) will form the PSC. At the discretion of the Programme Steering Committee (PSC), the DFID s Office to the Caribbean, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and the World Bank led Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) may also be invited to participate with observer status, to ensure complementarities and synergies with the projects managed by both partners on behalf of the EU in the region and to avoid any eventual overlaps. The CARICOM and Organisation of East Caribbean States (OECS) Secretariats may be invited to participate, with an observer status as well as other EU member states and CARIFORUM member states country representations, all with observer status and on a rotational basis or on any other modality decided by the PSC. The PSC will meet in-person once per year and once virtually, through video-conference, and/or on an ad hoc basis whenever necessary. Final Governance Arrangements will be agreed by the Steering Committee at early stages of the Programme. 10

11 4.2. Procurement and grant award procedures 1) Contracts All contracts implementing the action must be awarded and implemented in accordance with the procedures and standard documents laid down and published by the Commission for the implementation of external operations, in force at the time of the launch of the procedure in question. Participation in the award of contracts for the present action shall be open to all natural and legal persons covered by EDF. Further extensions of this participation to other natural or legal persons by the concerned authorising officer shall be subject to the conditions provided for in Article 20 of Annex IV of the Cotonou Agreement. 3) Specific rules on programme estimates: All programme estimates must respect the procedures and standard documents laid down by the Commission, in force at the time of the adoption of the programme estimates in question. 4) Joint Management All contracts implementing the action are awarded and implemented in accordance with the procedures and standard documents laid down and published by the relevant International Organisation 4.3. Budget and calendar The foreseen implementation period of the Financing Agreement will be 60 months, as from the signature of the Financing Agreement. The total project cost is estimated at EUR , to be financed from the 10 th EDF Intra-ACP Indicative Programme, in the framework of the revised ACP- EU Partnership Agreement. The tentative breakdown of the budget is as follows: Results/Components of the Total Estimated Costs Management Mode Programme EDF Costs (EUR) Result 1 Centralised direct (CDEMA) Result Joint Management (CDB)* Result 3 Dominican Republic Component Partially Decentralised (DR NAO) Communication & Visibility Centralised direct (EU Delegation Monitoring, Evaluation & Audit Barbados) Contingencies** TOTAL *The maximum fixed percentage of direct eligible costs is applied (7%) given the specificities of the region such as the number of countries covered by the action and the geographical dispersion and/or access to the most disaster prone areas **The EU contribution to "Contingencies" can only be mobilised by the European Commission 4.4. Performance monitoring Overall monitoring of the Programme s implementation will be a responsibility of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) Coordinating Unit, in close coordination with the remaining implementing partners, i.e. the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the National Authorising Officer of the Dominican Republic. Overall supervision of this process will be ensured by 11

12 the EU Delegation to Barbados & OECS and, for the Dominican Republic s Component by the EU Delegation to the Dominican Republic. Each component of the Programme will be monitored in accordance with standard EU monitoring procedures. Key quantified indicators will measure performance. Performance will be assessed against the targets set out in the Indicative Logical Framework (objectively verifiable indicators - OVIS). The latter, sources of verification and assumptions will be further streamlined during the Inception Phase for the entire intervention logic to allow for an effective monitoring of the complete Programme implementation. CDEMA will function as the secretariat of the Programme s Steering Committee (PSC). Irrespective of the contract related reports (narrative and financial), quarterly narrative reporting and an annual global report should be provided for by CDB, CDEMA s Coordinating Unit and the NAO of the Dominican Republic, against the indicators agreed upon during the Inception Phase. Overall coordination of these reports will be ensured by the CARIFORUM, through CDEMA as secretariat of the PSC and collated into one stand-alone document. The EU Delegation to Barbados & OECS will coordinate with the EU Delegation to the Dominican Republic in order to ensure timely delivery to CDEMA of the elements to be provided for by its NAO. The implementing partners should also provide information on the Programme s performance through CDEMA as Secretariat of the PSC, whenever requested by the following authorities: CARIFORUM, the ACP Secretariat and the European Commission. External consultants may be recruited to support the process. Regular briefs to the European Commission and the ACP Committee of Ambassadors on the progress of this Programme shall be provided through CDEMA as the PSC s Secretariat. The Programme Steering Committee (PSC) will be able to oversee general implementation of activities, approve annual work programmes, reviewing performance and assess impact. All procedures and standard documents used will be those laid down by the European Commission, in force at the time of the adoption of the contracts implementing this programme. Day-to-day technical and financial monitoring of the programme will be an on-going process undertaken as part of the Beneficiaries responsibility. To this end, the Beneficiaries shall establish permanent internal technical and financial monitoring systems for the Programme, which will be used to inform the annual and intermediate programme reports. Apart from this, external mid-term reviews through project life cycle are proposed to independently evaluate progress and effectiveness and subsequently recommend areas that need improvement, to be contracted by the European Commission. The latter may also launch results oriented monitoring (ROM) exercises as convenient using the Programme's respective budget heading. Independent consultants recruited directly by the Commission on specific terms of reference will carry out external monitoring missions as needed Evaluation and audit An evaluation of the Programme will be conducted by independent consultancy at the mid-term and again at the end of the programme to ascertain how the objectives and purposes of the Programme are fulfilled and to assess the sustainability, impact, effectiveness, efficiency and relevance of the Programme. A provision for Audit is included in the budget of the Financing Agreement. Audit and evaluation contracts & framework contracts are to be managed by the European Commission acting for and on behalf of the ACP Secretariat (the terms of reference will be coordinated with the ACP Secretariat and contracted by the European Commission). 12

13 4.6. Communication and visibility All communication and visibility activities will be undertaken in accordance with the Communication and Visibility Manual for EU External Actions. The manual mainly covers the written and visual identity of the EU. It sets out the requirements and guidelines for briefings, and all other tools used to highlight EU participation. These should be multi-lingual, where appropriate. A Knowledge, Communication and Visibility Plan should be submitted for the approval of the Programme Steering Committee (PSC) at the early stages of the Programme s implementation. Lessons and experiences from the Programme should be collected and disseminated with a view to inform other relevant ACP and EU financed projects or programmes in a spirit of reciprocity. The EU Delegation to Barbados & OECS will ensure that these links are established. The Programme is given maximum visibility in all activities, reports and media releases, written material, press conferences, publicity material, presentations, invitations, signs, commemorative and/or other plaques, CDEMA and CDB s respective websites. In this regard, all materials should include the reference "with the financial support from the European Union in the framework of the ACP-EU Natural Disaster Risk Management in the CARIFORUM and carry the EU and ACP's logos. When appropriate, materials (communication and training) may be replicated for use in other ACP countries (e.g. in Africa and in the Pacific). The EU Delegation to Barbados & OECS and in liaison with the EU Delegation to the Dominican Republic, the CARIFORUM, CDB and CDEMA will also organise suitable Programme inauguration and handing over ceremonies aiming at the presence of local and international media, to ensure commensurate donor visibility but also enhance awareness of funded interventions and challenges in the DRM sector in the countries. Furthermore, frequent visits to Programme related sites to promote public awareness actions during implementation and in the presence of the local media and announcements in printed and electronic media shall be implemented. 13

14 Appendix List of acronyms ACP: African, Caribbean and Pacific States AusAID Australian Agency for International Development CARICOM: Caribbean Community, CARIFORUM: Forum of the Caribbean Group of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States CCA Climate Change Adaptation CCCCC Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre CDB Caribbean Development Bank CDEMA Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency CDM Comprehensive Disaster Management CDRRF Community Disaster Risk Reduction Fund CHC Coordination and Harmonization Council CIDA Canadian International Development Agency CIMH Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology CMO Caribbean Meteorological Organization CREWS Coral Reef Early Warning Stations COTED Council for Trade and Economic Development DFID United Kingdom s Department for International Development DIPECHO DG ECHO s DRR Programme DRM Disaster Risk Management DRR Disaster Risk Reduction DRRC University of the West Indies Disaster Risk Reduction Centre EDF European Development Fund EIB European Investment Bank GCCA Global Climate Change Alliance GFDRR Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery () HIP Harmonized Implementation Programme IFRC International Federation of the Red Cross MIS Management Information System NAO National Authorising Officer NDF Natural Disaster Facility NDO National Disaster Offices OCTs Overseas Countries and Territories OECS Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States OVIS Objective Verifiable IndicatorS PSC Programme s Steering Committee ROM Result Oriented Monitoring UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNISDR United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction USAID United States Agency for International Development 14

15 ANNEX 2 of the Commission Decision on the Annual Action Programme 2013 Part 2 in favour of Intra- ACP cooperation to be financed from the 10 th European Development Fund Action Fiche for Building Disaster Resilience to Natural Hazards in Sub-Saharan African Regions, Countries and Communities 1. IDENTIFICATION Title/Number Building Disaster Resilience to Natural Hazards in Sub-Saharan African Regions, Countries and Communities CRIS number: Total estimated cost: EUR Total cost Total amount of EDF contribution: EUR Third Party Contribution: EUR : (This action in co-financed in parallel co-financing by UNISDR for an amount of EUR and by WB-GFDRR for an amount of EUR ) Aid method / Method of implementation Project Approach Direct centralised management (grant-direct award to the African Union Commission and procurement of services) Joint management with: United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, African Development Bank and World Bank Disaster Prevention and DAC-code Sector Preparedness 2. RATIONALE AND CONTEXT 2.1. Summary of the action and its objectives 11 The effects of demographic pressure, unplanned urbanisation, biodiversity loss, land and eco-systems degradation, climate change, and complex economic globalisation trends, may partially explain the increase and intensity of disasters worldwide. However, it is a fact that natural hazards disproportionately affect lower-income countries and those who benefit least from wealth creation owing to economic globalisation. In Africa, in particular, various forms of vulnerability have the potential to amplify minor hazard events into major disasters. In 2011 and 2012 alone, 148 occurrences were recorded, including 19 droughts and 73 flood events, that killed over 6200, affected almost 51 million Africans and caused more than USD 1,94 billion in economic losses. These disrupt the normal functioning of states, economies and development efforts at large, seriously undermining their prospects of achieving the Millennium Development Goals. A holistic approach to building disaster resilience and to secure development gains in Africa, based on accurate risk information and improved decision support systems, is thus needed. Prevention and disaster management can also enhance competitiveness and strengthen resilience 12 to increasing global 11 Please refer to the list of acronyms at the end. 12 Resilience is the ability of an individual, a household, a community, a country or a region to withstand, to adapt, and to quickly recover from stresses and shocks, in The EU Approach to Resilience: Learning from Food Security Crises, COM (2012) 586 final. 15

16 risks and shocks, in particular in times of economic crisis, when EU development assistance must deliver the greatest direct benefits for cost. As such, the development aim of this Programme is to strengthen the resilience of sub-saharan African regions, countries and communities to the impacts of disasters, in order to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development. The purpose is to provide the analytical basis and accelerate the effective implementation of a comprehensive disaster risk reduction (DRR) framework for the continent Regional context (Economic and social situation and poverty analysis) GDP in Sub-Saharan Africa has increased by 4.9% in 2011, slightly above 2010, which registered 4.8%. The number of people in Sub-Saharan Africa living on less than USD 1,25/day has started to fall after a peak of 395 million in Still, one-third of the world s poorest people live in the region. While extreme poverty figures have fallen, the number of people living on less than USD 2/day continues to rise. Disasters contribute to between 3% and 15% of annual loss of GDP in African countries and two of the most damaging disasters, droughts and floods, are responsible for 79% and 18% losses of GDP respectively (ratio economic loss to GDP exposure is highest in Sub-Saharan Africa) Regional development policy Overall development policies in Sub-Saharan Africa are aligned with Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSP) and/or EU-financed Country and/or Regional Strategy Papers (CSP/RSP), thus largely dependent on Official Development Assistance. However, few PRSPs or CSPs prioritize disaster risk reduction (DRR) or disaster risk management (DRM) as focal sectors, with the exception of the 10 th EDF Intra-ACP Cooperation Strategy ( ) envelope for DRR, which draws from the Secretariat of the African Caribbean and Pacific Group of States approach to this subject 13. African governments and Regional Economic Communities (REC), under the aegis of the African Union Commission (AUC), adopted the Extended Programme of Action for the Implementation of the Africa Regional Strategy for DRR (PoA), in line with the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA). The PoA sets out strategic areas of intervention, offers policy guidance at regional level as well as key activities, expected results, measurable indicators and mechanisms for coordination and support. Coordination of this framework is ensured by the AUC and RECs through the African Working Group on DRR (AWGDRR). Also five of these RECs have established DRR policies and/or strategies based on the priorities for action of both the HFA and the PoA: Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), East African Community (EAC), Economic Community for Central African States (ECCAS) and Southern African Development Community (SADC). Also the 4 th Africa Regional Platform for DRR 14 called for a commitment on: (i) DRR at the regional level; (ii) DRR at the sub-regional level; (iii) increased political commitment and DRR investment; (iv) risk identification, monitoring and early warning; (v) resilient cities in Africa; and (vi) reducing risk climate change adaptation (CCA) and emerging regional challenges. Precisely, the proposed Programme will contribute to address many of these issues. Despite this engagement at all levels, the prevention, mitigation of and preparedness to natural hazards is still an emerging issue in the policy agenda of many African governments. The latter, as well as donors, are far from reaching the agreed DRR investment targets of 10% for all humanitarian aid, 1% of all development assistance, and 30% of CCA funding going to DRR. 13 ACP Concept Note on DRR, 29/032/08, Rev.2, approved by the ACP Committee of Ambassadors. 14 Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, February

17 Sector context: policies and challenges Weather, water and climate-related hazards, in particular drought, floods, sand and dust storms and cyclones dominate the disaster profile of Sub-Saharan Africa, with serious implications in sustainable water supply, health, food security, agricultural productivity, livelihoods and fiscal risk management. In this regard, and although the Programme will follow a multi-hazard approach, thus not excluding support to geological hazards, formulation has confirmed a set of challenges, already identified during the identification phase: Lack of development-oriented and comprehensive approaches to DRM and DRR; Inadequate institutional and resource support for regional, sub-regional and national DRM; Inadequate data on losses and insufficient use of scientific tools for decision-making; Direct and indirect economic and social costs of disasters not accounted for in fiscal and budgetary policies due to lack of accurate measure of losses; Inadequate strategies for long-term post disaster recovery, reconstruction and development; Limited ability of weather services to produce timely and high quality service and products for DRR, including community-focused early warning systems with sufficient lead time; Lack of regional climate centres in parts of Africa; Poor communication on natural hazards and risks results in low level of public awareness. As disasters have flow-on effects to entire countries and sub-regions, a fully integrated, all-sector approach, is needed. Therefore this Programme proposes a complete cycle of DRM measures and capacity building, through risk identification and assessment, risk reduction and preparedness, risk financing and resilient recovery and reconstruction. Also momentum for investment in DRR should be sustained by fully mainstreaming it into regional and sub-regional development policies and by securing funding for full implementation of DRR plans, as requested by the 4 th Africa Regional Platform for DRR. In line with the Joint Africa-EU Strategy, the AUC and the RECs reiterated a request to the ACP Secretariat, as the Authorising Officer for the 10 th EDF Intra-ACP funds, and the European Commission to support a comprehensive approach to DRR 15 (from policy to operations; from the continent to communities; from better risk information to better decision support systems). Hence, this Programme is the Africa component of the 10 th EDF Intra-ACP envelope for DRR and it is anchored in the EU s general and specific guidelines on disaster resilience, such as the EU Strategy for Supporting DRR in Developing Countries Implementation Plan 16 or the GCCA 17. This Programme will contribute directly to the EU s Action Plan for Resilience , in its Implementation priority 1 - EU support to the development and implementation of national and regional resilience approaches, capacities and partnerships. This Action Plan follows the EU Communication on Resilience 18 and is in line with the Council Conclusions of 28 May Lessons learnt A series of consultations with African stakeholders, in particular in the context of the 9 th EDF ACP-EU Natural Disaster Facility, and with development actors, have highlighted the need to coordinate DRR measures with development and investment efforts, to respond to: Lack of focus on partner entities with DRR mandates resulting in weak coordination; 15 Meeting of the AWGDRR, Johannesburg, South Africa, April COM (2009) 84 final and SEC (2011) 215 final, respectively. 17 COM (2007) 540 final. 18 The EU Approach to Resilience: Learning from Food Security Crises, COM (2012) 586 final. 17

18 Need to translate DRR legislation and policies into adequately-resourced programmes; Weak national institutions with insufficient African expertise; Capacity constraints within governments to effectively engage with donors; Lack of risk financing solutions to finance recovery and reconstruction; Poor tailoring of DRR products (climate, weather and hydrological extreme events); Lack of more holistic trans-boundary assessments and early warning systems; Poor awareness and visibility of actions Complementary actions This Programme complements current national and regional EDF envelopes, on-going Intra-ACP programmes, in particular those with a DRR specific orientation, as well as activities supported by other donors. It will seek to complement the existing and planned resilience related interventions at the national and regional level, including in those in the framework of Supporting the Horn of Africa's Resilience (SHARE)and Global Alliance for Resilience Initiative in the Sahel (AGIR). Synergies will be sought, in particular, with the following initiatives: 10 th EDF ACP-EU Natural Disaster Reduction Programme (EUR ), entrusted to the World Bank-led Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), foresees a specific window for interventions at regional and sub-regional level. This window will receive a top-up to further support the REC s DRR strategies and, in this way, complement this Programme. The GFDRR will also ensure the implementation of result 5 of this Programme th EDF Monitoring for Environment and Security in Africa- MESA (EUR ), which collects large quantities of raw data for climate purposes. Through this Programme, it will be possible to further select, organize and analyse that data for DRR purposes, taking into account relevant socio-economic data. This Programme will complement MESA with additional forecasting capabilities, real-time information delivery mechanisms to respond to DRR early-warning requirements and promote the integration of climate risk assessments in risk disaster planning and development assistance strategies. Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI): Building Capacities for increased Public Investment in CCA and DRR (EUR ), entrusted to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), supporting the systematic accounting of disaster losses and the development of probabilistic estimations of future risks. This Programme will also support the development of national disaster loss databases and estimation of recurrent economic losses in Sub- Saharan Africa. 10 th EDF support to "ClimDev DEV Africa" (EUR ) under the responsibility of the African Development Bank (AfDB), supports African climate and weather institutions to provide climate information services and analysis for policy makers. This Programme will allow ClimDev's Africa Special Fund to become operational and to further expand those services most specifically for DRM/DRR purposes. The Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) s lessons and experiences on mainstreaming CCA and DRR will inform this Programme, in particular through the training package it has developed for CCA. This can be revisited to fully take into account DRR and propose an integrated mainstreaming approach to the two issues. 19 For the purpose of this Programme, Result 2 will be funded through a rider to a separate decision (2010/22-103), under the 10 th EDF Intra- ACP. A total of EUR will top-up that on-going decision "ACP EU Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Programme", managed by the World Bank-led GFDRR. The GFDRR will ensure an active dialogue and commitment with the AUC, through the Steering Committee, to ensure coordination and complementarity with the overall Programme. 18

19 The proposed action will also take into account and see to complement the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection's Humanitarian Implementation Plans (HIP) for the Horn, West and Sahel sub-regions, as well as its DIPECHO programmes, supporting community-based DRR. Bridging the gap between this dimension and that of central governments, so as to better ensure sustainability of DIPECHO s projects will be a valuable contribution by this current Programme, especially in an LRRD approach (linking relief, rehabilitation and development). This Programme is fully in line with the AUC s formal statement at the Global Platform for DRR 2013 in relation to the post-2015 HFA, emphasising the need to: i) strengthen and deepen coordination between national platforms and the Regional Platform, thereby enhance prospects for the implementation of the Africa Regional Strategy for DRR and ii) invite/call on partners to support RECs and the AUC to build relevant capacities to address DRR. It is also coherent with the Communication on Resilience, as this Programme will contribute to embedding DRR and resilience in national and regional policies and planning as a part of their development process Donor coordination This EDF contribution is in line with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, the Accra Agenda for Action, the EU Code of Conduct, the Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation and the most recent framework for action stemming from the Rio+20. The Programme will further enhance donor coordination with bilateral and multilateral donors present in Sub-Saharan Africa. This will occur through coordination mechanisms such as the African Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction (AWG) or the EU DRR Strategy s coordination mechanisms with EU Member States. The EU s Action Plan for Resilience will also provide for a coordination framework and consultation forum among development partners and donors. This Programme results from a coordinated effort with development partners to tackle resilience in Africa. It will directly contribute to the Action Plan and will be subject to its results framework. The Programme s Steering Committee will also bring together implementing partners, which are key development actors in Africa, such as the AfDB, UNISDR or the World Bank-led GFDRR. Proposed activities should only be undertaken if they do not conflict with others financed by other donors in the region. The European Commission, the ACP Secretariat (authorising officer for the Intra-ACP funds) and the AUC, in its coordination mandate for DRR in Africa, through its Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA), will actively seek and support coordination and ensure complementarities with on-going actions and existing strategies. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION 3.1. Objectives The overall objective of the Programme is to strengthen the resilience of sub-saharan African regions, countries and communities to the impacts of natural disasters, including the potential impacts of climate change, in order to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development. The purpose of the Programme is to provide the analytical basis and accelerate the effective implementation of an African comprehensive disaster risk reduction and risk management (DRR and DRM) framework (institutional, political, normative, risk identification and assessment, risk reduction, early warning, preparedness and response risk financing for resilient recovery and reconstruction) Expected results and main activities 19

20 R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 Extended Programme of Action for the Implementation of the Africa Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (PoA ) operational, through the improved AUC s coordination and monitoring capacity. To be implemented by the AUC and the UNISDR. African Regional Economic Communities (RECs) have DRR coordination, planning and policy advisory capacities operational to support their respective member states and regional and sub-regional programmes. To be implemented by the GFDRR. 20 Core capacities of the specialised national and Regional Climate Centres (RCCs) are improved, to meet the needs of DRM agencies and socio-economic sectors for effective use of weather and climate services and community-focused and real-time early warning systems. To be implemented by the AfDB. African countries have improved knowledge of risks through, the compilation of historical disaster related data to inform the assessment and modelling of future risks. To be implemented by the UNISDR. Multi-risk financing strategies are developed at regional, national and local levels to help African countries make informed decisions, to improve their financial response capacity post disaster and to mitigate the socio-economic, fiscal and financial impacts of disasters of African countries. To be implemented by the GFDRR. Activities under Result 1 will: Improve the coordination and monitoring mechanisms of the AUC to implement the PoA; Establish reporting mechanisms of the Programme and monitoring of the PoA; Develop and implement advocacy and communication tools; Ensure political commitment and representation of African leaders on DRR fora; Provide education and training on DRM/DRR, making knowledge more accessible through networks and coalitions, tools and capacity development. Activities under Result 2 will 21 : Strengthen RECs coordination, planning and policy advisory capacity for DRM as well as to provide advice and technical assistance to member states in developing national DRR programmes ; Enhance regional knowledge on DRM frameworks for strategy development; Improve cooperation and networking between global, regional, and national research institutions; Improve regional capacity for post disaster needs assessments and recovery planning. Activities under Result 3 will: Build capacity of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS); Strengthen the communication between NMHS and DRM authorities to ensure delivery of appropriate, relevant and timely early warning information at national level; Provide DRR Hydromet infrastructure; Provide thematic and institutional support. Activities under Result 4 will: 20 For the purpose of this Programme, Result 2 will be funded through a separate on-going programme (decision 2010/22-103), also financed by the 10 th EDF Intra-ACP envelope. This will be achieved through a EUR 20 million top-up to the on-going "ACP EU Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Programme", managed by the World Bank-led GFDRR. This will allow the earmarking of ECOWAS, ECCAS, IGAD and SADC as the main beneficiaries. 21 See footnote 9. 20